Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Clamping umbilical cord later may boost babies' iron

Clamping umbilical cord later may boost babies' ironBy Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pinching off the umbilical cord as soon as possible after birth may not be best for babies, according to a new review. Studies showed infants tended to have higher levels of iron in their blood when the cord was clamped up to three minutes after birth, rather than the usual less than one minute. An extra minute or two might allow more iron-rich blood to flow from the placenta to the baby, researchers said. ...